Explanation of Display

This graph shows the percentage of students at this school that meet or exceed state standards on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT). The buttons above the graph allow you to select reading, mathematics, or composite (combined) scores. Multiple years of results are shown for the school and district along with the statewide averages for comparison.

Click on “View Details” to see additional years of ISAT performance data, grade-level and subject-area results, and performance of student sub-groups.

This display allows you to take a closer look at ISAT performance for this school. District and state data is included for comparison.

Grade: The drop-down menu allows you to select a Summary (all grades at this school averaged together) or Each Grade at this school. Note that the ISAT is administered in grades 3-8. Click “Go” to see your selection.

Subject: The drop-down menu gives access to All Subjects or to one at a time. Click “Go” to see your selection.

Once you have made your selections, you can press the "Go!" button to display information. The "Excel" button downloads this information as an Excel file.

This advanced display illustrates year-by-year performance on the ISAT under a common set of cut scores, allowing for a more accurate year-by-year comparison and a view of the shift in results due to the change in cut scores.

In 2013, ISBE raised performance expectations on ISAT Reading and Mathematics. These higher expectations raised the “cut scores,” or the thresholds between different performance levels (such as “Below Standards” and “Meets Standards”) which resulted in a downward shift in the ranking of students in meeting or exceeding the new, more rigorous Reading and Math standards.

The Old and New Cut Score buttons illustrate the shift in this school. Use the Grade, Subject, and Student Group options across the top of the screen to customize your view. (Note that this display only shows Reading and Mathematics as the Science cut scores have not changed.)

Context

A school demonstrating high state test results is likely to have multiple systems that support high levels of academic achievement. These may include a high level of teacher quality, advanced courses, and rigorous academic standards. Standardized tests results should be interpreted in the context of other measures of student achievement.

In January 2013, Illinois raised scores for passing the ISAT tests in both reading and math. This caused the percentage of students who scored as meeting or exceeding standards to decrease on the 2013 tests. The lower results starting in 2013 did not indicate a decrease in the quality of schools, teachers, or student work. Instead, the change reflects higher standards. To view long term data on state achievement tests, select Performance Levels from the left side menu.

Starting in 2014-2015, Illinois will replace the ISAT with a new test, called PARCC, that is fully aligned to the New Illinois Learning Standards. To learn more about new tests, select PARCC from the left side menu. Note that ISAT content has changed during the past two years. In 2013, 20% of ISAT test items were aligned to the new Illinois Learning Standards. In 2014, 100% of items were aligned to the new standards.